If you are looking for a new way to add some wow to your stairs, don't just paint the banister but the treads and risers too. We show you how

Blessed with a wooden staircase but not sure how to decorate it? Take the opportunity to add some personality to your hallway by painting the staircase treads and risers.

We have seen so many great staircase paint ideas that we just had to pay homage to the trend by sharing some of our favourites and telling you how it is done. So read on, and before you know it you will be poised – paintbrush in hand – ready to tackle this weekend project.

1. Prep and repair your staircase

While paint is perfect for making over an old staircase, you need to make sure it is in good nick before you start. Repair any loose or broken parts, and fill any dents.

You can paint both bare wood and painted wood, but if the stairs are very old and have many layers of paint on, you might want to strip them back first. This can be done using paint stripper, a heat gun or sanding – but take care as old paint may be lead based.

2. Choose suitable paint

While you can use any wood paint, those designed for floors are best as they are designed to be more durable. It needs to be walked all over of course. If you do choose to use wood paint, a satin finish may be more forgiving.

However, remember that floor paints are designed to be less slippy. Gloss and satin might be fine for risers, but could prove dangerous if used on the tread itself.

To paint your stairs you will need rollers and trays, a paint brush, sanding and cleaning equipment, and paint suited to floors such as Rustoleum's Chalk Finish Floor Paint. This kit also includes stencils for creating a patterned finish and masking tape to secure them

3. Staircase painting tips

Start early and preferably when everyone is out for the day. You need to factor in drying time which will be at least a few hours to be touch-dry and longer before you should be walking on it. If your only loo is upstairs, you might need to plan an alternative.

It may sound obvious, but start at the top and work down so you don't get stuck upstairs (unless you are painting upwards from a basement of course).

5. Try two tone

Treads one colour, risers another – colour blocking is super easy on a staircase. You could even paint alternating steps different colours, or you can split the staircase vertically, horizontally or even diagonally in two tones.

7. Stencil your stairs

If you want to add a design, try using a stencil if you don't trust your freehand skills. The options are endless with so many stencils available. You could number the risers to count your way up the apples and pears, or buy a set of letter stencils and let your stairs do the talking.

A photo posted by @leahpendletondesigns on Aug 25, 2018 at 12:48pm PDT

8. Showcase your interests

Let your passion inspire how you paint your stairs. Literature lovers will love the book spine decorating idea below, but you could also decorate with your favourite song lyrics, or maybe a repeat pattern of your favourite flowers.

Homeowner Lisa Jackson commissioned a sign-writer to turn her staircase into library steps, with each riser painted as the spine of a Charles Dickens novel. The subtle brown works well with the green walls painted in Lichen by Farrow & Ball

9. Pair it with wallpaper

Paint the treads, then add some pattern to the risers with wallpaper. You could decide to match this to your hallway wallpaper, but remember that if you do paper the stairs, it will benefit from a coat of hard-wearing clear varnish to keep it looking pristine.